Flashlight



March 18, '94L w, R Kopp 2,235,025

FLASHLIGHT Filed NOV. 5, 1939 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS atented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATT-:s

PATENT OFFICE- FLASBLIGHT Application November 3, 1939, Serial No. 302,635

s Claims.

'ibis invention relates to hand lamps and more particularly to an improved means for mounting a lamp bulb of the prefocused type in the reilector of a hand lamp.

in the old type of portable hand lamp a bulb was employed having a threaded stem which was received in a socket mounted adjacent the head end of the lamp casing.' A reflector was also arranged in the end of the casing and this reflector was provided with an opening through which the lamp bulb projected. lDue to the threaded connection between the lamp bulb and its support, the arrangement of the lamp bulb in iocus with the reector was not always maintained. Anywearing of the threads or any variation in tightening the lamp bulb in its socket would shift its position axially of the hand lamp casing and therefore move it with respect to the reflector.

ii recent development in a portable hand lamp construction includes the use of prefocused bulbs.. Such bulbs are provided with an unthreaded stem and with a flange or shoulder surrounding the stem. The lamp bulb is inserted through the opening in the reflector with the stein projecting rearwardly from the opening and it is retained in position by engagement of the iiange or shoulder with a seat arranged at the rear side oi the reector opening. The opposite side of the ilange or shoulder on the lamp bulb stein is engaged by suitable means for retaining the shoulder or flange against its seat.

.iin object of the present invention is the provision4 oi simple and inexpensive means for retaining a prefocused lamp bulb in position with respect to the reector and permitting it to contact with the center electrode of the upper cell oi a battery arranged in the flashlight casing. lior this purpose li provide an externally threaded member on the inner end of the reilector and further provide a threaded cup which is adapted to engage this member and which is provided with a'gcentral portion having an opening therein ior thepassagefoi thelamp bulb stem and having a portion'surrounding the opening which engages the :flange or shoulder on the lamp bulb stem to retain it against the seat formed on the inner side of the reflector opening.

in the accompanying drawing I have shown severalv embodiments of the invention. In this showing:

llilg. 1 is a sectional view of the end of a hand lamp casing showing the invention applied to a die cast reflector;

(Cl. 24U-10.6)

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a stamped reflector having threaded means for engagement with the cup;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the reflector before the threaded means is secured thereto;

liig. 5 is a similar View of the threaded means; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view oi the threaded means.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawing, the reference numeral l designates generally a portion of a hand lamp casing having a flared upper end i land having a Ibattery arranged thereii; coin- Posed of one or more cells, the end of the upper cell being shown at 3. rihis cell is provided with a central electrode 4 which is adapted to be engaged by the base terminal of a lamp bulb in the usual manner. The enlarged head oi the casing is threaded as at i2 and is provided with a ilange t. iii reflector 'i is provided with aperipheral flange il which is adapted to be supported by the flange t. A ring il oi insulating material may be arranged between. the anges ii and d. A lens i0 is arranged on ithe flange il of the reflector and may be surrounded by a strip il of insulating material. The reflector and the lens are retained in position by an end cap i2 which is internally threaded at t to engage the threads i2 on the end oi the casing. ,v

ln the form oi the invention shown in Fig. l of the drawing, the reflector l is die cast and is provided with an externally threaded cylindrical boss i3 at its inner end. It is also provided with a seat it for a lamp bulb of the prefocused type. As shown lamp bulb it is provided with a stein it having a flange or shoulder il which engages the seat lil. The threaded boss i3 is adapted to support an internally threaded cup shaped member id which retains the lamp bulb on its seat and thereby prevents relative movement oi the lamp bulb and reilector. As shown, the base of the cup shaped member is inclined inwardly and upwardly as at i9 terminating in an inner cylindrical portion 2i) which is of greater diameter than the stem of the lamp bulb. The upper end of this cylindrical portion 20 is provided with an inwardly extending liange 2l which engages one side of the ilange or shoulder il. The lamp bulb is provided with the usual base terminal 22 which engages the central electrode 4 and a suitable switch arm 23 is adapted to engage the cup shaped member I8 when in operative position to complete the circuit from the battery to the fl1ament." The` switch member 23 may be controlled by any suitable switch mechanism (not shown) on the flashlight casing.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 to 6 of the drawing, I employ a cup shaped mem'- ber I8 for retaining the bulb in position but in this form of the invention I employ a stamped reector 24 and secure an externally threaded member 25 thereto. The externally threaded member cooperates with the cup shaped member I8 to support the bulb in position in the same manner as the threaded boss I3 of the reflector 1 shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The reector is provided with a ilange 2B at its outer end which functions similarly to the flange 8 to retain the reflector in position in the lamp casing, A neck 21 surrounds the central opening 28 of the reilector and at the juncture oi the .neck and the body of the reflector I provide a plurality of ribs or indentations 28'. The threaded member 25 is provided with an inturned ange 29 at its lower end. A sleeve 30 is secured to this flange by crimping it above and below the ange as indicated at 3| and 3|'.

ange 32. After the threaded member 25 and the sleeve have been assembled, the parts are assembled with the reflector proper as shown in Fig. 3 and .the neck 21 is spun over the ange 32 as indicated at 33 to secure the members to each other. The inner surface of the ange 32 is provided with spaced notches 34 corresponding in number to the ribs or indentations 28 and the ribs are received in these notches to prevent relartive rotational movement of the members after they have been assembled.

When the neck 21 is spun over the ange 32, it forms a seat, similar to the seat I4 of the die cast reflector which is adapted to be engaged by the upper side of the ange I1 of the lamp bulb. The cup shaped member I8 is then secured to the member 25 by means of the cooperating threads and flange 2I engages the lower side of ange I1 on the stem of the lamp bulb to retain the lamp bulb in position in the manner previously described.

'I'he construction thus provides a very simple method of supporting a prefocused lamp bulb in position in a reilector of a hand lamp and permits the base terminal 22 oi the bulb to make direct contact with the central terminal of the The upper end of the sleeve l is provided with .an annular inwardly extending battery without the provision oi intervening contact members. 'Ihe invention may be applied to either a die cast reilector which may be threaded for the reception o1' the lamp bulb supporting member or to a stamped reilector in which case the threaded cooperating member 25 is secured to the reflector 24 as heretofore described or in any other suitable manner.

I claim:

1. A hand lamp comprising a reflector having a central opening therein and having a seat formed in said opening, a lamp bulb mounted in th'e reector in alignment with the opening with the stem of the bulb projecting through the opening, the steam oi! the bulb being provided with a projecting portion engaging said seat, and a cup shaped member secured to the reilector and having a central opening for the passage o! the stem, said cup shaped member having an inner cylindrical flanged portion engaging the projectingtportion of the stem to retain the bulb on said sea 2. A hand lamp comprising a reflector having a central opening .therein and having a threaded cylindrical portion surrounding the opening, a lamp bulb mounted in the reilector with the stem of the bulb depending therefrom and projecting rearwardly from the opening, the stem of the bulb being provided with a projecting portion engaging the reector, a cup shaped threaded member secured to the threaded cylindrical portion oi' the reflector and having a central opening for the passage of the stem of the lamp bulb, and an inner cylindrical ilanged portion formed on the cup shaped member .to engage the projecting portion of the lamp bulb to retain it in position.

3. A hand lamp comprising a reilector having an opening therein, a lamp bulb mounted in the reflector in alignment with the opening with the stem of .the bulb projecting through the opening, the stem oi.' .the bulb being provided with a projecting portion engaging the reector, and a cup shaped member secured to the reector, saidcup shaped member having an inner cylindrical portion through which the stem of the bulb projects, and a ilange formed on the end of said cylindrical portion to engage .the projecting portion on the stem of the bulb and retain the bulb in position.

WALTER R` KOPP. 

